the movie wasn't bad at all.. i'll be picking it up on blu-ray this week sometime. i'm sure the blu will be alot better in PQ & AQ, the dvd wasn't too shabby, so i'm hoping for a big improvement.
BTW, I own this on HD DVD and it was one of the best transfers I've seen. Right up there with Hot Fuzz, King Kong, Children Of Men, and Eastern Promises. And it's a damn good movie too!
BTW, I own this on HD DVD and it was one of the best transfers I've seen. Right up there with Hot Fuzz, King Kong, Children Of Men, and Eastern Promises. And it's a damn good movie too!
I have the HD DVD as well and I agree. I will not be getting the BD.
The movie was a bit too "Hollywood goes to Saudi Arabia" for me, but the action sequences should be amazing on a good home theater. My esteemed colleague Martin will be reviewing this. I haven't seen the BD myself.
Everything that reviewer complains about is contradicted by the two reviews linked above.
Quote:
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'The Kingdom' arrives on Blu-ray with a technically impressive 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer (identical to the 2007 HD DVD encode) that should easily please fans of the film. While Berg tends to favor a post-processed monochromatic color scheme, the picture remains strong and stable throughout. Explosions bathe the screen with warm oranges and bright yellows that make it seem as if the flames could pour off the screen. The entire image has a striking three-dimensional quality that makes foreground objects pop in nearly every scene. Best of all, detail is exceptionally sharp and revealing -- textures are crisp and it's possible to count every pore, hair follicle, and stitch on the screen. Tiny scraps of shrapnel and debris constantly caught my eye and I was extremely happy with the transfer's clarity.
Unfortunately, Berg's stark style prevents this transfer from showcasing all the wonders of high-def. Contrast is intentionally cranked up, whites are overblown, and fleshtones appear as if the director of photography was trying to give the actors a sunburn. The transfer is also occasionally plagued by errant digital noise, mild artifacting, and inconsistent grain fields. Luckily, such source issues are infrequent and rarely detract from Universal's otherwise proficient transfer.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
While 'The Kingdom' has finally earned a lossless audio outing (Universal originally announced the HD DVD edition would have TrueHD audio, but the final release arrived with a DD+ mix), Universal's DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track sadly suffers from some of the same underwhelming shortcomings.
'The Kingdom's somewhat flat audio mix and by-the-numbers sound design prioritizes volume over legitimate immersive qualities and resonance. Dynamics are impressive at times, but occasionally fail to produce the crisp highs and solid lows I've come to expect from lossless audio tracks. It doesn't help that explosions mainly erupt from the front channels, key elements lack that patented LFE gut punch I've come to love, gunfire sounds a bit shrill from time to time, and revving engines are slightly throaty. Furthermore, rear speaker support isn't consistent and environmental ambience is sparse for a film with such crowded locales and busy city streets.
Still, once you overcome any initial disappointment, the track's positive qualities should keep you suitably engaged. Dialogue is nicely balanced in the center speaker, pans are transparent, directionality is convincing more often than not, and a notable amount of attention has been paid to interior acoustics and soundscape clarity. The best audio moments bookend the film and the track manages to get it together in the last twenty minutes to deliver a bombastic and climactic endgame experience. I suppose it's appropriate since the film too suddenly focuses on action above all else, but I still would have liked to hear the same audible aggression from the first two acts.
All in all, Universal's DTS HD MA mix doesn't quite stack up to the best Blu-ray action or war mixes available. When I reviewed the HD DVD in 2007, I was disappointed by its DD+ audio and assumed a lossless track would address my complaints. Unfortunately, while there is some notable improvement, the real problem apparently lies in the film's uninspired sound design.
Quote:
First released on HD DVD with a VC-1 encode, this version sports a newly minted AVC presentation that improves upon the HD DVD in many areas. Detail is slightly sharper, backgrounds offer more detail, and the compression noise prevalent on the HD DVD release is absent here. The color palette is dry, befitting the desert landscape, and black levels are solid, delivering adequate shadow detail—given the source elements, it's hard to imagine this looking any better than it does.
The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is an improvement over the Dolby Digital track from the HD DVD. Bass response is much deeper and tighter, dialog sounds more natural, and gunfire has more impact. The surround speakers provide ample discrete effects, especially during the third act when the action is ratcheted up with an intense shootout and an edge-of-your-seat freeway chase.
While I never let reviews completely sway me, I do put some stock into what they say regarding PQ and AQ. These two said it was terrific. I loved the movie so I'll most likely be picking it up at some point.
picked up The Kingdom earlier today and will watch it later tonight sometime.. So tomorrow I will stop in and drop a line on what i thought about it...
Unfortunately, Berg's stark style prevents this transfer from showcasing all the wonders of high-def. Contrast is intentionally cranked up, whites are overblown, and fleshtones appear as if the director of photography was trying to give the actors a sunburn. The transfer is also occasionally plagued by errant digital noise, mild artifacting, and inconsistent grain fields. Luckily, such source issues are infrequent and rarely detract from Universal's otherwise proficient transfer.
Right on the nail. If you're looking for a damn good underrated movie than this is it. If you're looking a reference quality movie in terms of PQ then look elsewhere.
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Is there a review out there for "The Kingdom???"
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